Different types of anti-vandalism fabrics with a wide variety of applications are known today, such fabrics are generally made up of a series of superimposed layers between which there is arranged a metal reinforcement mesh. Said mesh tends to be embedded between layers of textile material or synthetic foam. These meshes are mostly formed by threads, cables or wire of specific thickness preventing a sharp object such as a knife from penetrating and cutting the fabric.
By way of example, patent application EP0945578 proposes a vandalism-resistant panel including a flexible wire skeleton embedded in a layer of polymer material.
Patent EP1428458 discloses a multiplayer complex comprising a metal reinforcement layer made by means of intertwining, comprising a weft thread and a warp thread characterized in that the weft thread has a square or rectangular section and in that the warp threads joining the weft threads have a diameter comprised between 0.1 and 0.6 mm.
Patent EP0639946 relates to a seat cover comprising a thin layer of a compact elastomer in which there is partially embedded a continuous layer of helical metal springs.
In all these fabrics the anti-vandalism features are conferred by the use of a metal wire as weaving thread in mesh production, or as the only thread since it is a stitch woven mesh.
These anti-vandalism fabrics are generally conceived to offer both perforation and cut resistance at the same time, but they are often too stiff, since introduction of any metal frame inside a multiplayer complex makes it stiffer conferring little flexibility and manipulability to the fabric. Additionally, when the metal layer comprises weft threads, the commonly used metal threads usually have a diameter greater than 0.1 mm to prevent cutting the fabric or to make it difficult.
Particularly, when these anti-vandalism fabrics are used in vehicle seats a greater flexibility is necessary facilitating the manipulation thereof, increasing the upholstery quality and that said fabrics do not form permanent creases when they are folded, while at the same time they must have sufficient cut and perforation resistance.
In terms of their capacity to overcome shear stress, the features offered by currently known fabrics are not very compatible with the other aforementioned requirements. Therefore, the use of stainless steel threads with a diameter of the order of tenths of a millimeter in meshes, for example, allows overcoming the shear tests necessary to present the fabric as a fabric with certain anti-vandalism properties, however the thickness of these threads causes permanent fabric deformations when it is folded, often leaving crease lines around which the fabric has been folded. This effect means that either the fabrics cannot be used for lining or upholstering objects with a complex configuration, or that they are not of interest because they do not offer attractive enough finishes for the manufacturer of the objects to be upholstered, such as the case of manufacturers of industrial seats or seats intended for public transport which are conventionally more likely to be vandalized due to their exposure to the general public.
The first objective of the invention is therefore a fabric which offers sufficient cut resistance so as to be considered as an anti-vandalism fabric but which at the same time is provided with good flexibility and adaptability or which even improves these properties with respect to the fabrics known today.
A second objective of the present invention is that the metal skeleton is compatible with conventional finishing operations to which such fabrics are subjected, such as for example the operations performed to embed the metal skeleton in a panel of non woven fabric is also.
A solution which fulfills the requirements described above and which can be obtained by using the tools, specifically weaving machines on the market, and which requires no special adaptation thereof for fabric production in order to enable offering a solution with a market appropriate cost is also an object of the invention.
Finally, it is of interest that the solution according to the invention can be applied in other fields of the art different from that of seat upholstery, such as for example in technical or protective clothing production.